Justin Fields’ Big Moment: 2023 Is Career-Defining Year
Chicago's quarterback now finds himself surrounded by offensive weapons in 2023
Matthew Horner - Jun 6, 2023, 10:43am EDT
For the Chicago Bears, this season will be all about Justin Fields and whether or not he can prove to the front office that he is the superstar QB that the franchise has been waiting over 100 years for.
Indeed, the 2023 season will be all or nothing for Fields, and that is exactly what general manager Ryan Poles has geared up for. His trade of the No. 1 pick showed that he believes in Fields’ ability to be that guy. Poles then used free agency and the draft to almost exclusively help the offense when it comes to the big-money contracts.
Chicago selected OT Darnell Wright with the 10th overall pick, signed G Nate Davis to a three-year, $30 million deal, and brought in a proven receiver in DJ Moore as part of the deal for the No. 1 pick with Carolina. Let us not forget that Poles traded away a second-round selection in this draft last season for Chase Claypool, and also spent a fifth-round pick on standout WR Tyler Scott in the Draft.
The Bears also added three running backs in D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer this offseason to backup Khalil Herbert. They added TE Robert Tonyan to pair with Cole Kmet to make a dangerous duo. When you combine these guys with veteran Darnell Mooney and former third-round pick Velus Jones, there is a lot of capital invested here.
There is no question that Fields has struggled as a passer to this point, but there is confidence that he is growing in that aspect of his game. We know what he can do with his legs, as he is one of the most prolific rushers in the NFL at the QB position. If you believe that Fields will take that next step as a passer with all these new weapons around him, there are several ways to play him.
You can get him at 20/1 to win MVP, and 25/1 to win offensive player of the year. His upside is massive if he does learn how to pass efficiently, like Jalen Hurts last season, who would have won MVP if not for injury.
However, I would look to play his over passing yards for the season. The team wants to know if he is the guy, and that means giving him lots of attempts to pass the ball. His number is an extremely low 2775.5 right now. If he plays a full season, I think he reaches 3,000 yards with ease, and that is counting how much he runs the ball. The emphasis all season will be on his passing ability. He knows it, his teammates know it, and this year there are no excuses.
